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Harvesting leaf celery for the winter with an abundance of greens on the shelves all year round is quite justified. It is hard to disagree that all the vegetables, fruits, berries and herbs, tested out of season, left no delight. In addition, the presence of vitamins and nutrients in them is doubtful. It is quite natural that every housewife wants to pamper her family always only with useful, self-grown crops.
Benefits of celery leaves
Green leafy celery is a storehouse of vitamins and minerals. The plant is endowed with the unique property of inhibiting the aging process. In the power of fragrant greens to restore the water-salt balance, which is valuable for people of age.
People with an unstable psycho-emotional state should definitely include celery leaves in the diet, stock up on preparations, as they have a positive effect on the state of the nervous system. Eating the plant in large portions normalizes blood sugar levels.
The succulent leafy variety is rich in:
- carotene;
- asparagine;
- nicotinic acid;
- tyrosine;
- essential oils;
- microelements;
- vitamins: A, B, K, E, C;
- minerals: potassium, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, manganese, zinc, iron.
Periodic use of leaf celery in salads, first and second courses contributes to the manifestation of the following properties of the plant:
- antiseptic;
- tonic;
- increases the concentration of hemoglobin in the blood;
- laxative;
- stimulates appetite, improves digestion;
- immunostimulating;
- improves blood circulation;
- antioxidant;
- strengthens the vascular walls;
- regenerating;
- eliminates allergic manifestations;
- restores blood pressure, is valuable in hypertension.
It is worth noting that for men, a leafy plant is valuable, as it contains androsterone, a male hormone that improves potency. For women, leafy celery is prized for its dietary fiber, which helps burn fat. With a tendency to edema, the plant should be included in the diet, since the natural component eliminates excess fluid, helps relieve cramps during painful menstruation.
Basic rules for harvesting celery leaves for the winter
It is important not only to grow green beds. It should also be borne in mind that in order for the plant to accumulate the maximum amount of valuable substances in the root, stem and leaves, harvesting should be started before flowering.
Celery blooms closer to mid-August and should be in time to harvest at the end of June, the beginning of the third summer month. It is at this time that the culture is considered mature, and valuable energy is not spent on flowering.
You can continue to buy bunches of juicy celery from supermarket shelves, but it should be borne in mind that they are grown unnaturally, with the introduction of fertilizers and other chemicals for growth and will not be beneficial. Moreover, those who like to consume the plant in large quantities can provoke unwanted reactions of the body.
How to keep celery leaves for the winter
Leafy celery can be stored for the winter without much effort.Adding a product to food saturates any dish with vitamins and microelements. To make supplies in the winter, use one of several proposed methods, and if you want to diversify the diet - all at once.
Procurement methods:
- Drying.
- Freezing.
- Dry salting.
- Storage without any manipulation.
Each hostess will choose her favorite method.
Drying leaf celery
There is no need to invent something to dry out the harvest. The cut green part is washed, dried and chopped.
Dried plant fragments are poured into a cloth bag or glass container. So harvesting celery preserves vitamins and ethers.
You can also dry in bunches. For this, the cut crown is washed, damaged fragments are removed, and tied. Suspended in a dry room with good air circulation. Alternatively, you can dry the grass spread out on the table. Since the process is long, it is recommended to cover the greens with gauze.
How to freeze leaf celery for the winter
Today, people are increasingly moving away from conservation, preferring natural methods of harvesting. Freezing is a simple and popular way to store crops until harvest. In this case, the following algorithm of actions is maintained:
- green leaves are washed, weed leaves are selected;
- allow water to drain;
- crushed;
- placed in ice molds;
- fill with water;
- exposed to low temperatures.
Such a cube will add a spring touch during the harsh cold season.
You can also dry freeze celery for the winter. To do this, you need to do the following:
- the greens are sorted out, the spoiled leaves are removed;
- you can combine several types of plants;
- wash all the ingredients, let the water drain, dry a little;
- dill, parsley, celery are finely chopped;
- scattered into plastic containers or bags.
- stored in the freezer.
If not re-frozen after thawing, the product can serve until the next harvest, saturating with vitamins and minerals.
How to prepare leafy celery for the winter
You can show imagination and apply other methods of harvesting fresh green leafy celery in the winter without losing the beneficial components of the plant. There are no useless parts in the plant. Celery can be added to ready-to-eat meals and can be used as healthy foods on its own. Leaf celery and recipes for its preparation for the winter are in demand today, since it is a source of valuable natural components.
Pickled celery leaves for the winter
Pickled green parts of leafy celery go well with vegetables, sometimes they are combined with fruits and berries.
To prepare leafy celery for the winter, according to the recipe, you will need:
- leafy celery - 1 kg;
- garlic cloves - 10 pieces;
- bay leaves - 4 pieces;
- peppercorns - 8 pieces.
For the marinade take:
- water - one and a half liters;
- vinegar 9% - 400 ml;
- salt - 100 g;
- sugar - 100 g.
It is important to follow the sequence of actions.
The green mass of celery is washed and sorted out. Garlic and bay leaves are placed on the bottom of a sterilized jar. Cut fragments of leaf celery are tamped tightly on top. The containers are poured with hot marinade, sterilized for 25 minutes. Roll up hermetically.
Leaf celery seasoning
Spicy celery seasoning is used as a sauce for meat dishes, as a dressing in soups or as an independent dish.
For cooking you will need:
- green parts of a leafy plant - 500 g;
- green parsley leaves - 500 g;
- garlic - 500 g;
- bulgarian pepper - 1 kg;
- hot pepper - 1 pod;
- tomato paste - 500 g;
- salt - 140 g;
- sugar - 150 g;
- vegetable oil - 150 g.
The algorithm of actions is as follows: all the ingredients are passed through a meat grinder, mixed until smooth, the workpiece is closed with tight plastic lids. Store in a cold cellar at 5 degrees.The finished product at the exit is three liter containers or 6 half liter cans.
Dry salted leaf celery for the winter
Dry salting can be used to preserve large amounts of leafy celery. The product is used as a flavoring additive to various dishes. It is important to consider that a large amount of salt is used to obtain the final result.
For cooking you will need:
- green leafy celery - 1 kg;
- salt - 250 g.
Greens are pre-washed and dried, crushed, mixed to obtain a homogeneous mass and placed in jars. When liquid appears above the surface of the densely folded grass, the containers are sealed. The workpiece is stored in a cool place, without access to light.
Keeping green celery leaves fresh
Those who prefer to pamper themselves with fresh bunches of celery all year round dig up the plant along with the root in the fall. In an earthen basement, it is buried. You can also cut off the crown from the root, dry the petioles, wrap it in foil, place it on a refrigerator shelf with a temperature of +1.
Following simple recommendations, greens are stored until spring.
Storage periods
Not everyone has the opportunity to grow greens in their beds. When buying celery, pay attention to the following nuances:
- if you press the stem with your finger, the buyer feels firmness, fresh celery is not squeezed;
- if you pay attention to the leaf product, then fresh leaves are hard and smooth;
- by tapping on the stems before purchasing, you can find out if the plant is edible, empty stems are unusable.
Good quality celery should have an intense green color, with no signs of yellowing on the leaves. It is worth noting that bundles purchased from store shelves will last for several days, and in a refrigerator - for a decade.
A properly dried plant has a beautiful greenish color, intense odor and can be stored in a dry room until the next harvest.
Marinated celery, subject to all technological processes, is stored for up to two years at a temperature not higher than +6 degrees.
The roots dug in the cellar retain their greenery for two months. In new dry bags made of polyethylene, at 0 - +10 degrees, green leaves store a little more than a block without damage. In the refrigerator and at a temperature of +5 - the leaf variety can lie for up to six months.
Conclusion
Harvesting leaf celery for the winter should become an obligatory ritual in the life of every housewife. Celery greens have an intense smell. They treat it differently, but there are dishes without the use of fragrant leaves, which do not turn out to be fully revealed. Eating a little of this plant a day can significantly strengthen the barrier functions of the body, and every woman strives for this, taking care of the family. In addition to valuable nutritional qualities, the green leaf heals wounds well, heals burns, restores the integrity of damaged tissues. Having prepared an infusion based on a leafy plant, people cleanse the body of the accumulation of toxic compounds, toxins, free radicals.
